Spain secured its place in the 2026 World Cup Final on Tuesday as goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro earned it a hard-fought semifinal victory.
DALLAS, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro in each half gave Spain a 2-0 victory over France in Tuesday's World Cup semifinal, sending the team to the final for the first time since its 2010 triumph.
Oyarzabal converted from the spot in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal in the box.
Digne tried to deal with an awkward bouncing ball, but Yamal, a day after turning 19, darted in from behind inside the penalty area. Digne's attempted clearance caught Yamal, sending him to the ground.
France suffered another setback when injured center-back William Saliba was replaced by Maxence Lacroix in the 30th minute. The title favorite made another early change at halftime as Manu Kone came on for Adrien Rabiot, who was booked just eight minutes into the match.
Porro doubled Spain's lead in the 58th minute, combining with Dani Olmo before continuing into the box and calmly finishing past Mike Maignan. Yamal nearly added a third in the 64th minute, racing onto a pass, cutting inside past Digne and firing low, but the effort was ruled offside.
France's best chance came a few minutes later when Kylian Mbappe fired from the edge of the box, only for the effort to be deflected for a corner that posed no real threat.
Another opportunity arrived in the 83rd minute when goalkeeper Unai Simon raced out to clear the ball, which fell to Desire Doue whose lob was then denied by Simon.
Spain will face either England or Argentina in Sunday's final at New York New Jersey Stadium. ■
